His name was Li. I was sure he had a full name but he refused to mention it. As a deliveryman wearing Santa costume, his SoP required him to smile to people. Surprisingly, he said to my guide, “I hate this job. I don’t celebrate Christmas but I make money …

Today, I met Alibek Yeginbay, a historian born and grown up in Kazakhstan but has called Xi’an home for five years. Like me, he’s one of the doubters that Marco Polo actually took the trip as mentioned in the traveler’s book, The Travels of Marco Polo. Polo’s description of ancient …

People who are afraid of death, are afraid of life

Fatima, a dying woman in the badly-reviewed movie, Hector and the Search for Happiness, said this to Hector, a mid-age psychiatrist who, contrary to his profession, felt the need for help to his existence. This quote is not part of the twenty one quotes in the movie, but is one of the reasons that drove me to travel and, most importantly, live a life.